The China Study by Thomas Campbell

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332 THE CHINA STUDY


John paused to gather his thoughts, and then said, "That may be the
case. Then I'll have to starve. I can't put people on drugs or surgeries
that don't work. Besides, I think you're wrong. I don't think it will be
bums and hippies. I think it will be successful people who have done
well in life. They'll ask themselves, 'I'm such a big success, so how come
I'm so fat?''' With that, John looked at the Chief's generous belly, and
continued, "They'll ask, 'If I'm such a big success, why are my health
and my future out of contro!?' They'll look at what I have to say, and
they're going to buy it."
John finished his formal medical education having had only one hour
of nutrition instruction, which involved learning which infant formulas
to use. His experience confirms every study that has found nutrition
training among physicians to be sorely inadequate.

HOOKED ON DRUGS

John touched on another important area where the medical profession
has lost credibility: its ties with the drug industry. Medical education
and drug companies are in bed together, and have been for quite some
time. John talked some about the depth of the problem and how the
educational system has been corrupted. He said:


The problem with doctors starts with our education. The whole
system is paid for by the drug industry, from education to research.
The drug industry has bought the minds of the medical profession.
It starts the day you enter medical school. All the way through
medical school everything is supported by the drug industry.

John is not alone in criticizing the way in which the medical estab-
lishment has partnered with the drug industry. Many prominent sci-
entists have published scathing observations showing how corrupt the
system has become. Among the common observations are:



  • The drug industry ingratiates itself with medical students with
    free gifts, including meals, entertainment and travel; educational
    events, including lectures, which are little more than drug adver-
    tisements; and conferences, which include speakers who are little
    more than drug spokespeople.^15 -^17

  • Graduate medical students (physician residents) and other physi-
    cians actually change their prescribing habits because of informa-
    tion provided by drug salespeople, 18-20 even though this information

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